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Some helpful thjings to know in your struggles in faith and temptations. Each Homily is different and adresses different problems you may have. Unfortunately, the recording of the 8am mass failed, but we have the 4pm and 10:30am Homilies recorded.

Pope Francis expressed this advice during this morning’s General Audience in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, as he continued his series of catecheses on the theme of Christian hope.

The Holy Father drew inspiration from the Scriptures teaching that along with authentic hope, born of trust in God’s word, we can be tempted by false hopes and worldly idols, like money, power or physical beauty. …

Our flesh and the world work on the weak spots of our weak intellect since the fall of Adam and Eve and the passions overtaking the intellect. We have a tendency to overindulge in coffee, ice cream, chocolate, money, power, and the list goes on. We also get caught up in the flashy stuff. We might see all the “beautiful people” on TV with all their glittering clothes. We want all the newest gadgets, the finest cars, homes, lawn, and etc.Continue reading →

When trying to get to our final goal in Heaven, we need to have a plan. We have to do more than avoid sin. Our general plan is to practice virtue. The Catechism says virtue is “A habitual and firm disposition to do the good. The moral virtues are acquired through human effort aided by God’s grace; the theological virtues are gifts of God” (CCC 1803). So a virtue is not acquired by simply doing something once. It needs to be habitual, meaning over and over. It also needs to be a firm disposition. The person needs to be resolved to make the virtue consistent and part of the character of the person. There is a real human effort that is made to practice the good, yet at the same time that person must rely on God’s grace. Though it takes human effort, it takes more than just human effort; it also takes grace. If a child takes out the garbage once, it does not make the act or child virtuous. Neither does it if the child does not do the act with God’s grace and grumbles while taking out the garbage. Virtue also must be whole. That will be coming later.Continue reading →